KVKs: India’s Sleeping Giants of Agriculture
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), once key to farm innovation, are losing relevance due to staff shortages, weak infrastructure and outdated approaches. While some centres show impact, many lag behind farmer needs. Once central to farm innovation, KVKs now risk irrelevance, demanding urgent reforms to tackle climate, market, and technology challenges.
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In the 1960s, India imagined a bold experiment: institutions that would take agricultural science out of research labs and into the hands of farmers. These institutions, called Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), were meant to be the grassroots laboratories of rural India. The first KVK was set up in the 1970s, and today, there are about 730 centres spread across the country.
On paper, this looks like an achievement. In reality, it is a system that seems to be losing its way. KVKs, once envisioned as engines of rural innovation, now risk becoming bureaucratic relics. Unless they are reset, India’s agricultural technology support system will remain stuck in the past, even as farmers face unprecedented challenges from climate change, market volatility, and technological disruption.
The Promise That Faded
KVKs were designed with a clear mandate:
• Transfer innovations from labs to the fields.
• Train farmers, rural youth, and extension workers in practical skills.
• Test technologies under local conditions.
• Demonstrate modern techniques through frontline demonstrations.
They were meant to be the technical backbone of India’s agricultural extension system, complementing ATMA, the coordination mechanism. But decades later, many KVKs have become routine training centres. Farmers often turn instead to private input dealers or informal networks for advice.
What was missing in the original design was the problem solving function of KVKs. The design was mostly a one -way traffic: from lab to land, not vice versa. This could be the reason why these are not functioning at full potential.
Success Stories That Inspire
Many KVKs have success stories to their credit. A random selection of farmers' voices bring these successes to life:
• Baramati, Maharashtra: "Before silage, we lost half our cattle feed every summer," says Ramesh Patil, a dairy farmer. "Thanks to KVK, we now preserve fodder and keep milk production steady."
• Latur, Maharashtra: Meena Bai, a member of a women's self-help group, shares, "KVK helped us turn waste into vermicompost, and now we earn a steady income."
• Jalna, Maharashtra: "Water scarcity was our biggest challenge," recalls farmer Shyamrao Jadhav. "KVK's water conservation methods revived our fields and hope."
• Thrissur & Kozhikode, Kerala: Landless farmer Anil Kumar says, "The incubation center gave me skills and confidence to farm profitably on leased land."
• Bikaner, Raj. : "Drought-resistant crops saved our harvests," explains farmer Kamla Devi. "KVK's training made us resilient."
These examples show the transformative potential of KVKs when they are proactive, innovative, and farmer-centric.
Not all KVKs are underperforming. Some have shown what is possible when science truly meets practice:
• Baramati, Maharashtra: KVK Baramati pioneered silage production technology, helping dairy farmers preserve fodder and stabilize milk yields. This innovation reduced seasonal feed shortages and transformed livestock productivity. Farmers who once struggled with erratic fodder supply now enjoy steady incomes.
• Latur, Maharashtra: KVK interventions in goat farming, mechanized sugarcane harvesting, and women-led vermicomposting enterprises have boosted rural livelihoods. Women’s SHGs, supported by the KVK, turned waste into wealth, creating sustainable income streams.
• Thrissur & Kozhikode, Kerala: Integrated farming demonstrations and incubation centres for landless farmers have shown how KVKs can adapt technologies to local needs and empower marginalized groups. Kozhikode’s incubation centre helped landless farmers on leased land improve profitability, proving that KVKs can be engines of inclusion.
• Bikaner: KVK Bikaner introduced drought-resistant crop varieties and trained farmers in water-efficient irrigation methods. In a state where water scarcity is a perennial challenge, these interventions made farming more resilient.
These examples show the transformative potential of KVKs when they are proactive, innovative, and farmer-centric.
The Other Side of the Story
Unfortunately, many KVKs fall short:
• National Staff Shortages: A parliamentary committee reported 30% vacancies across KVKs, undermining their core functions. Without adequate scientists and specialists, KVKs cannot deliver on their mandate.
• Bihar (Lakhisarai): Case studies reveal staffing shortages, pay disparities between ICAR and non-ICAR KVKs, and low morale among employees. These issues limit efficiency and farmer outreach. Farmers in these districts often rely more on private dealers than on their local KVK.
• Infrastructure Gaps Nationwide: A 2024 parliamentary panel criticized inadequate infrastructure despite rising climate challenges. Many existing KVKs operate from (rented) buildings with poor facilities, limiting their ability to conduct demonstrations or host training programs.
• Duplication with ATMA: In several states, KVKs and ATMA overlap in training and outreach, leading to inefficiency. Instead of complementing each other, they sometimes compete for the same space, confusing farmers.
• Inadequate emphasis on Dairy, Poultry & Fisheries: KVKs continue to focus on crops while incomes and growth are being dominated by Dairy, Poultry & Fisheries.
These failures mean that despite heavy funding—nearly about `1,500 crore annually—many KVKs remain invisible to farmers.
Why a Reset Is Urgent
India’s agriculture is at crossroads. Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, global markets are volatile, and new technologies are transforming farming worldwide. If KVKs remain stuck in the 1970s model of demonstration plots and classroom-style training, they will become irrelevant.
Farmers need institutions that can help them solve problems in fields, adapt to climate risks, connect to markets, and embrace innovation.
A Blueprint for Renewal
So what does a reset look like? Here are seven urgent reforms:
1. Performance-linked funding
Budgets must be tied to measurable outcomes- problem solving for the district, farmer income gains, and sustainability indicators. KVKs should be rewarded for impact.
2. Digital-first extension
KVKs must embrace apps, AI, and remote advisory platforms to scale expertise beyond physical training sessions. A farmer in a remote village should be able to access KVK knowledge on her smartphone.
3. Farmer-centric innovation
Shift focus from routine demonstrations to solving local problems—climate resilience, market linkages, precision farming. Each KVK should have a district-specific innovation agenda.
4. Integration with startups and FPOs
Partner with agri-tech innovators and farmer producer organizations to stay relevant. KVKs should be the bridge between grassroots farmers and cutting-edge startups.
5. Transparency and visibility
Every KVK should publish annual impact reports accessible to farmers and policymakers. Visibility builds credibility, credibility builds trust.
6. Reset the ATMA- KVK connect:
The ATMA platform needs a reset to provide for a district level sustainability model being put in place by KVKs.
7. Validate traditional wisdom:
KVKs should document all traditional sustainable farming practices prevalent in the district and validate them from a sustainability- farm income-nutrition perspective. The Green Revolution format on assessment of technologies need a reset!
KVKs were envisioned as the interface between science and farmers. But unless they reset, they risk irrelevance in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape. India cannot afford to let its grassroots technology arm become a bureaucratic relic. The time has come to breathe new life into KVKs—transforming them from passive training centres into dynamic engines of agri- innovation. If India is serious about agricultural transformation, it must wake up its sleeping giants. KVKs are too important to be left behind.
(The writer is Former Secretary, Agriculture and Food, GOI)
